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From the Back of the Humidor — Veritas 412 Revisited

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Apr 11th, 2026
Category: Blog Entries.Local

I dug deep into the humidor for my Friday evening smoke and came up with a Veritas 412 — a boutique cigar I used to enjoy regularly at Olde Towne Tobacconist at the Farm. I still had a couple tucked away in the back, sticks I picked up at the now-closed shop and had been aging for the past two years. It felt like the makings of a nostalgic evening.

The Veritas 412 is a 6 x 54 toro featuring a dark, slightly mottled Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder and a blend of Pennsylvania and Nicaraguan (Estelí and Condega) filler tobaccos. The cigar is firm, smoothly rolled, and even after two years in the humidor, it retained a nice oily sheen. The “412” name is a nod to the Pittsburgh area code — home to founder Chris Weber.

The cigar opens with a pepper-forward profile, likely driven by the Broadleaf. Dark chocolate and cocoa notes quickly take center stage, becoming the dominant flavor. A subtle dark fruit sweetness and a hint of coffee round out the profile as the smoke progresses. It’s a bold, dense cigar that remains fairly consistent over its roughly 90-minute smoking time.

The cellophane had taken on a golden hue, a subtle indicator of its age. Despite the time in the humidor, performance was flawless. After the initial toast and light, I never needed to touch the flame again. Smoke production was thick and steady, the burn line even, and the ash held firm.

Smoking the Veritas 412 brought back memories of Friday nights at the brewery-based cigar lounge. The lounge at 1781 Brewery has been closed for nearly two years now, but those evenings still come to mind easily. Back then, the 412 was usually paired with a craft beer. This time, I went in a different direction and poured a glass of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof.

This particular bottle was Batch A124, released in January 2024. At 119 proof, it’s still a bold pour — even if on the lower end for the series. The bourbon held its own alongside the cigar, offering rich notes of brown sugar and caramel up front, followed by charred oak and a cinnamon-laced finish. A few drops of water softened the spice and brought forward more sweetness, complementing the cigar nicely.

As for Veritas Cigars, their current status is something of a mystery. The brand, founded in 2011, rode the boutique cigar wave with a number of well-regarded blends, including the 412. Production at one point moved to Fábrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, a respected factory known for Black Label Trading Company releases. In recent years, however, the brand has gone quiet — its website offline and social media dormant.

Smoking the Veritas 412 was both nostalgic and a bit bittersweet. It made for a perfect spring evening on the porch — good cigar, good bourbon, and time to reflect. Finding these in the humidor brought back memories of the brewery lounge and the people who made those nights enjoyable. And as I smoked, it dawned on me that I may not come across these again anytime soon. For now, I think I’ll let the last one rest a while longer.

Cheers!

Occasional Update 26-3

Author: Chris ODonnell From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Apr 10th, 2026
Category: Blog Entries.Local

When I said these would be occasional, I meant it!

Spring has sprung here in RVA. The pollination is upon us and everything is covered in a gold-colored dust. Ugh. However, now that the threat of a serious freeze is done until November, I can pull the camper out of storage. I will be spending this afternoon de-winterizing the camper and hopefully checking off that all systems are working properly. Our first camping weekend of the year is in early May.

I got to spend a few days in Chicago for work in March, which was fun. We were hanging out in Buddy Guy's Blues Club and Buddy himself popped in to do a couple of tunes. I think he does that fairly regularly, but it was still a thrill to pay $16 to see some local blues band on a Sunday night and to get an appearance by Buddy at no extra charge.

Buddy Guy on stage

The world continue to be a complete shit show, mostly due to the leadership of my country. Sorry friends outside of the US. I'm coping mostly by focusing on making my very local world a better place. I can't fix the world or the US, but I can make a difference in Richmond, VA.

I'm in the final turn of my Virginia Master Naturalist training. I have really enjoyed going to class every Tuesday night. Not only am I learning a lot about the natural world, I get to hang out with 30+ other plant and nature nerds. After working from home all day, I need that little bit of real human interaction. I've still got to pass the final exam (not worried about it) and turn in my final project, which is actually already done. May to July. I'm also training in a couple of weeks to certify homes as bird friendly habitats. I need to find a non-bird related project to work on too. I could easily do all my volunteer hours on bird related projects, but I want to use this opportunity to force myself into something new.

The zine linked above is not the only application of what I've learned. Last weekend I ripped out the plants in my front bed and replaced them with Virginia native plants. The front row is Dwarf Iris, the yellow flowering plants are Golden Ragwort, and the two evergreens in the back are Shamrock Inkberry. 7 days after planting they are all still green, so hopefully a good sign that I didn't kill anything planting it.

Before

Front Bed with boring builder supplied plants

After

Front Bed with native plants

I even have a few links.

Two blog posts about the value and importance of physical media hit my radar this morning.

Ephermal Media
How has lack of ownership changed art

Michael Hartley shared his experiences as a juror on a cold case rape case.

Sort of related to something Andreas wrote about in his linkdump yesterday, The Art of Asking Why wrote about how they are using AI to edit and polish blog posts. Unlike some (many?) in the Fediverse, I'm not anti AI. AI is inevitable, and I'd rather keep up with what it is doing and not stick my proverbial fingers in my ears and sing la-la-la while I pretend we can put this genie back in the bottle. We can't. The business models are incredibly problematic right now, but there are open source models you can run locally. I experimented with that this week, and it was fine, but much slower than online. Maybe I picked a model that was too much for my aging computer. Techdirt has a very interesting take on AI in proclaiming that it might be our best shot to save the open web.

And finally, and also from Techdirt, how attending the latest No Kings rally was a life-affirming experience.

Remember, in a world where you can choose to be anything, you can choose to be kind.

The Beer Set the Tone — The Cigar Did the Rest

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Apr 9th, 2026
Category: Blog Entries.Local

With a couple of beer-centric “holidays” falling this past week, I turned my attention to hoppy beverages and their cigar accompaniments. For “New Beer’s Eve” on Monday, I was in the mood for something light and refreshing, still easing out of the indulgence of Easter weekend. A leftover Pilsner Urquell in the fridge fit the bill perfectly.

Choosing a cigar to accompany a lighter beer gave me some pause. A crisp, herbal pilsner calls for restraint; anything too bold would quickly overwhelm its clean malt character and Saaz hop profile. I settled on a lighter-bodied cigar with a creamy, nutty profile and reached for a Davidoff Signature 1000 — a cigar I typically reserve for morning or afternoon smokes, often paired with a cup of creamy coffee.

The pairing proved both enjoyable and surprisingly refreshing. The Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, with Dominican binder and fillers, delivered a smooth, coffee-leaning profile with gentle sweetness and just a hint of pepper. That touch of sweetness played nicely against the pilsner’s bitterness, creating a balanced, complementary experience. My only disappointment was the brevity of the 5 5/8 x 34 panetela — barely a 25-minute smoke. I was sorely tempted to light a second, but resisted.

The following evening, “National Beer Day” called for another moment on the porch. With cooler temperatures settling in, I reached for something darker: Bell’s Christmas Ale. Despite its seasonal branding, it’s a fine Scotch Ale and one I enjoy well beyond the holidays. For the cigar, I chose a Rocky Patel The Edge 20th Anniversary Robusto.

This fuller-bodied cigar brings notes of cedar, earth, dark cocoa, and a touch of spice. Its blend, featuring a 10-year-aged Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, a Honduran Broadleaf binder, and fillers from Honduras and Panama comes together in a rich, medium-to-full-bodied smoke, one I often enjoy with bourbon or rye.

The Scotch Ale brought a deep malt richness to the pairing. Layers of caramel and toffee complemented the cigar’s cocoa and cedar notes, while the beer’s body stood up well to the cigar’s strength. It was a satisfying match, particularly as the evening chill set in. After flirting with 80-degree days just a week prior, we found ourselves under a freeze warning — a classic Virginia spring.

These beer “holidays” served as a welcome prompt to explore a couple of thoughtful pairings. Even after years of enjoying beer — this blog evolved from that passion — I find that discovering the right cigar match still takes a bit of time, a bit of patience, and more than a few moments staring into the humidor.

And it’s always worth the effort.

Cheers!

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The Beer Set the Tone — The Cigar Did the Rest